Sounding apparatus.



No. 871,124- PATENTED NOV. 19. 1907. O. M. KNOBLOOK & J. DUSHAN E.

SOUNDING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2. 1906.

2 SHBETS-SHEET I.

F'IGA.

INVENTORS ATTORNEY.

No. 871,124. PATENTED NOV. 19. 1907.

O. M. KNOBLOGK & J. DUSHANE. SOUNDING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN.2 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Flcia.

FIG 5 INvENTo'Qs m/ CW Mm QZQLAZAAWL K ATTORNEY.

narra e snares PATENT ora ion.

OTTO M. KNOBLOCK AND JAMES DUSHANE, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA.

souii nme errane'rusvented certain new and useful Improvements inSounding Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to machines for taking soundings from vesselseither at rest. or under way and it has for its object the production ofa machine that will correctly show the depth of water at the place wherethe sounding is made whether the motion of the vessel is ahead or asternor if it is atvanchor.

It consists of such construction and combination of parts as arehereinafter more specifically described, and shown in the accompanyingdrawings in which Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section showing thevarious parts in their relation to each other. Fig. 2 is a horizontalcross-sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a view partly in section ofthe sinker or lead. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view showing theelectric magnet applied to the brake lever directly. Fig.

5 is a diagram of the electric connections from the sinker through thebattery to the magnet.

Like parts throughout are designated by the same letter or figure.

The working parts are inclosed in a box, I), whichis provided with aglass-covered opening, a, the use of which will appear later. Nithinthis case is mounted a reel, E, upon which the sounding wire, F, iscoiled. This wire passes from the reel, E, over a measuring pulley, D,thence over a carrying pulley,

C, downthrough an eye, B, at the lower end of a swinging L-shaped arm,A, and carries a sounding weight, 10, of special construction.

On the shaft of reel E is mounted a friction disk, G, which is clampedbetween two brake shoes, HH, which are pivoted toa block I, in thebottom of the casing.

The axis of reel E projects outside of the case and is provided with acrank, 20, by means ofwhich the wire Fmay be wound up. The crank may beclutch-connected with the axis 2 so as to engage it only while the crankis in use for winding up the reel.

To the outside of the upper arm of brake shoe H is secured a springplate 6, through which passes a draw bar or rod K. This rod is providedwith a thumb-nut, 7, which Specification of Letters Patent. Applicationfiled January 2| 1906. Serial No 294.331.

rammed. Nov. 19, 1907.

bears against the outside of spring 6. Rod

K passes loosely through the upper ends of shoes H H and also the shortarm of lever J. and is loosely secured thereto by 'a nut'or head. LeverJ. is ful'crumed upon brake shoe H near the upper end. It is evidentthat by drawingup on the thumb-nut 7, these shoes H H may be broughtinto any desired degreeof closeness to disk G.

To the end of the long arm of lever J is secured a spring, L, thetension of which may be regulated by a thumb-nut, 8, as shown,

thus determining the degree of force with which brake shoes H H willclamp disk G.

To the same end of lever J is secured a short draw-bar, M, having afinger loop at itsouter end and a square shouldered catch, 0, whichengages a latch, N. This latch N is flattened at the point of engagementand it forms the core of a solenoid, 1?, within which it is free tomove. 9 is an anti-friction roller behind N, to facilitate its action.

is free to move longitudinally thereon by reason of the feather-key, 4,It is rotated from measuring wheel D through the worm gealrl, X and W.The shaft of W is provided wit a worm, o, and this engages and revolvesgear wheel U and drum'T through their common shaft, 1. It will thus beseen that indicating drum, T, may be revolved in relation to measuringwheel D in any desired ratio of revolutions. rocker arm A by reason .ofeye B swings with sounding line F to the right or left as the vessel maybe going ahead or astern, it will through arm Q, and its'connection withdrum T shift said drum to the left or right along its shaft, 1, withoutinterfering with its rotation with said sh aft.

The surface of drum T is provided with circumferential gradua'tionsmarked with figures to indicate the true depth corre-' sponding to anygiven length of wire paid out in any given angular direction, i. 0., the

1 central line of figures record the length of wire paid out verticallywhile the vessel is lying still; the next row to either the right Andsince or left record the corrected vertical depth say 5 with thevertical.

that corresponds to an angular position of of figures may be suppliedthat will give the I correct verticals for any desired angular positionof the measuring wire. It is evi.- dent that the angular'position of thewire'is dependent upon the speed of the vessel at the time the soundingis made, and that the correct depth is the perpendicular of a rightangled triangle whose hypotenuse is the length of the sounding wire paidout.

The sounding wire is made up of two strands insulated from each other,the upper ends of which connect through a battery to the terminals ofthe solenoid .P, and the lower ends are connected with parts of thesinker as hereinafter described.

The sinker 10 comprises a body chambered at 10, provided with a threadedportion to receive a removable plug 12 to which. is soldered theterminal of wire 11 forming part of sounding line F. The wall of chamber10 is also provided with an annular groove ,to receive the edge of aflexible diaphragm 16 which is forced through the opening in the lowerend of the liodylO and sprung into said groove. Said diaphragm supportsan inverted mushroom-shaped stem 14 the upper end of which extends intoa cupped portion 12 formed in the underside of plug 12, but normally outof contact therewith. The terminal 13 of line F is secured to stem 14the diaphragm serving to insulate same from the-body of the sinker, andthe enlarged end of said stem projects from chamber 10 and clears thelower edge of body 10 by a short distance. A suitable plug 15 is emloyed to facilitate the passing of line F to t e interiorof the plug:The upper portion of stem 14 is, of metal, the portion 15 of said stemwhich extends below diaphragm 16 being of any suitable nonconductingmaterial, such, for instance, as

glass, vulcanite, or the like.

. The operation is as follows :Assuming the sinker to have been woundup, draw bar, M, is pulled out until latch N falls behind. catch O, andholds lever J against the recoil of spring L. This releases reel E andsinker 10 plunges downward. As it draws wire F over measuring pulley, D,the rotation of the latter is transmitted through the worm gearing, a?and o, causing shaft IV with its drum T to revolve. As the operatorlooks through the window opening, a, he willsee from'the figures on thedrum asthey pass just to what vertical depth the sinker has descended.the bottom, bulb 15 will deflect diaphragm 16 and stem 14 will be throwninto contact with plug 12, thus establishing an electric The second row.brake.

As'soon as the sinker strikescircuit through the wires, 11 and-13, andthe electric current from the battery will energize solenoid, P, whichwill at once lift its latch-shaped core out of engagement with catch 0.Spring L will then become effective and will through lever J instantlyset brakes H H, upon friction disk G, thus automatically arresting thefurther delivery of wire F. A glance through opening, a, will at onceshow by the figures on the drum, T, the exact depth where the sinkertouched 'the.bottom. .To get additional soundings the sinker is merelylifted clear of thebottom, when it is again dropped and a new readingwill show on the drum. Further, if sufficient wire has been paid out sothat the sinker drags upon the bottom the shifting of the drum throughthe swing of the rocker arm, A, will show the variation-in the depth dueto the inequalities of the bottom; It will then give a continuousreading.

In Fig. 4 we show a slight modification of our improved soundingapparatus which consists in operating the brakes H Hby means of asolenoid P the'core' N of which is directly connected to brake lever J.In operation the reel E is released in the manner heretofore describedand as soon as the sinker strikes the bottom and closes the circuit,solenoid P is energized whereupon its core will draw upon lever J- andcause -the brakes H H to beset.

Having thus described our invention, wh at we claim and desire to'secureby Letters- Patent is as follows:

1. In a sounding apparatus, a winding reel, a friction disk connectedtherewith, and a brake acting u on said disk, a sounding wire wound onsai reel and a sinker carried by said wire in combination with means toalternately set said brake upon said friction disk as soon as thesinkertouches the bottom.

2. In a sounding apparatus, a winding reel, a wire wound thereon,electrically operated means for braking said reel, and a. contactcarried by said wire for automatically controlling the operation of saidbraking means.

3. In a sounding apparatus, awinding reel, a wire wound upon said reel,means for braking said reel, and a sinker carried by said wire andprovided with means for automatically controlling the operation of thebraking means.

4.. In a sounding apparatus, a windlng reel,

a wire wound upon said reel, a brake therefor, a sinker carried by saidwire, and means carried by said sinker for controlling said 5. In asounding apparatus, a winding reel, a wire wound upon said reel, anelectrically operated brake for said reel, a sinker, and contactscarried by said sinker for controlling said brake.

6. In a sounding apparatus, a drum provided with a series ofcircumferential parallel graduations indicating varying depths, aswinging arm, a sounding wire controlling the movement of said arm,means controlled by said wire for rotating said drum, and conneetionsbetween said arm and said drum, whereby the latter is shifted by theformer.-

7. In a sounding apparatus, a reel on which the sounding wire is wound,a measuring wheel over which said wire passes as it leaves said reel, anindicating drum geared with said measuring wheel and provided with aseries of circumferential parallel graduations indicating varying deths, and means controlled by said wire for s ifting said indieator drumlongitudinally of its shaft.

8. In a sounding ap aratus, a winding reel, a sounding wire coile onsaid reel, a measuring wheel over which said wire passes, an indicatingdrum actuated by the measuring wheel and provided with a series ofcircumferential parallel graduations indicating varying depths, aswinging arm controlled angularly by said wire, and means for shiftingsaid drum longitudinally upon its shaft to indicate the angular positionof said arm.

9. In a sounding apparatus, an indicating drum provided with a series ofcircumferential parallel graduations for indicating depth correspondingto successive angular positions and length of the sounding wire, andmeans ior automatically shifting said drum longitudinally of its supportto conform to said varying positions of the sounding wire.

10. In a sounding apparatus, a sinker connected with a double conductorhaving'one terminal electrically connected with the body of the sinker,the other terminal being connected to a movable contact point, andaflexible diaphragm insulating said terminal from the body of said sinkerand also supporting said contact point. V

11. In a sounding apparatus, a sinker con nected with a doubleconductor, a plug to which one terminal of said conductor is connected,a movable contact with which the other terminal of said conductor isconnected, and a flexible diaphragm supporting said contact oint andinsulating said terminals from eac other.

12. In a sounding ap aratus, ameasuring wheel, an indicating di'umrevolubly connected therewith and provided with a series ofcircumferential parallel graduations indicating varying vertical depths,and a swinging wire-controlled arm provided with means for shifting theswinging of said arm..

13. In a sounding apparatus, the combination of a reel, a two-strandedsounding wire attached at one end to said reel, a sinker on the free endof said .wire, a swinging arm consaid drum longitudinally upon trolledby said wire, a measuring wheel'over which said wire passes, anindicating drum actuated by said measuring wheel and connected to saidswinging arm, said indicating drum being provided with a series ofclrcumferential parallel graduations indicating varying depths, andmeans operated by said arm for shifting said drum lon itudinally.

14, In a sounding macIiine, the winding reel E provided with africtionsurface, brake shoes acting thereon, a lever J actuating said shoes, incombination with a spring L, catch M and magnet P having a detainingcore N, and means for controlling the magnet.

15. In a sounding machine, an indicating drum T, movable longitudinallby arm Q, a' swinging arm A to which arm is attached, a carrying pulleyC at the angle of the swinging arm a sounding wire F passing over thepulley O and controlling arm A, a measuring wheel 1) rotated .by wire F,a reel E for carrying said wire, in combination with a sprinlgI L, leverJ, magnet P, catch M and core 4 In testimony whereof we affix oursignatures in presence of two witnesses OTTO M. KNOBLOCKQ JAMES-DUSHANE.

circuit to said

